The FBI announced on Tuesday a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the capture of Alberto Pérez Elías, a Cuban citizen wanted for his alleged involvement in a million-dollar robbery of a jewelry store in Cape Coral, Florida, which occurred on January 6, 2026.
According to the accusation and other court documents, Pérez Elías and the other three defendants broke into an empty commercial space next to Tio Jewelers and broke through the dividing wall to gain access to the establishment.
Once inside, according to authorities, the assailants subdued the manager at gunpoint, accessed a safe, and stole thousands of pieces of jewelry valued at over a million dollars. After the robbery, they fled to Miami.
The FBI included Pérez Elías on its wanted list in July 2026, in the category of additional violent crimes. The announcement of the $50,000 reward marks an escalation in the efforts to capture him, more than two months after the federal arrest warrant was issued.
The federal court for the Middle District of Florida, based in Fort Myers, issued that order on June 24, 2026. The charges include conspiracy to interfere with commerce by theft, interference with commerce by theft, and use of a firearm during a violent crime.
If found guilty, Pérez Elías would face up to 20 years of federal prison plus an additional consecutive seven years for the weapon-related charge.
Born in Cuba, the suspect has known connections in Miami and Hialeah. The FBI describes him as bald, with brown eyes, standing 1.68 meters tall and weighing about 68 kilograms. He has used two different birth dates: July 15, 1968, and July 12, 1972. The agency considers him armed and dangerous.
Those with information about his whereabouts can report it online at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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